41259 - Improve usability of Sidebar customize dialog

Status: VERIFIED DUPLICATE of bug 47585

(SeaMonkey :: Sidebar, defect, P3)

Description

[johng]

We need to add a link to the Sidebar customize dialog to the "My Sidebar 
Network" directory (hosted by the open directory project) which will have the 
most complete list of My Sidebar tabs (developed by anyone on the web).

Behavior of this link:
> Click the link
> Customize modal dialog and opens a new window with the specified URL.

Possible text for this link:  "Search the entire directory of My Sidebar tabs"

Vera - could you make a proposal for the text for this link and for other text 
in the customize dialog itself?  Then reassign back to me.  I'll get the correct 
URL before passing to engineering.

Comment 1

[johng]

nominating nsbeta3, was already approved in person in a PDT meeting when we were 
cutting features for beta2.

Comment 2

[verah (gone)]

Here's my proposed text for the customize dialog:

current title: "Customize Sidebar"
change to: "Customize My Sidebar"

"Available Panels"
change to: "Available Tabs"

"My Sidebar"
change to: "Tabs Currently in My Sidebar"

change the "Customize Panel" button to "Customize Tab"

For the added link, the text "Search the entire directory of My Sidebar tabs" is 
just fine as is.

Comment 3

[johng]

Part of launch of PR2 will be the new My Sidebar directory.  Need to make it 
discoverable from the dialog.  Will add a button.  Ideally would like it to be 
in beta2.

Assigning to German to decide where button goes and if it closes this dialog or 
not.

German, when done, please assign to slamm.

Comment 4

[timeless]

In addition to verah's proposals I think the button that leads to the menu that 
leads to the dialog should be changed from `Add` to `Options`, otherwise we 
have a case of the press Start to Shutdown syndrome.

Comment 5

[Blake Ross]

thanks for cc'ing me.

timeless: I think what you're referring to is bug 44473.

vera: most of the text is fine, but we cannot use the word "tab" -- it has to 
remain panel, a mistake we made early on in the program.  "Tab" is not 
skinnable because the items in the taskbar do not resemble tabs in most other 
skins besides the modern skin (for example, they look nothing like tabs in the 
classic skin).

Comment 6

[german]

Vera note there is a bug 38460 that rightfully suggests adding ":" to the list 
headers in the customize dialog. OK with that?
About tabs vs panels: I know about skinnability but we found there is a real 
usability gain by using this term as the general functionality is well understood 
based on this term. This functionality does not change from skin to skin, and was 
referred by users to as "Tabs" even before they looked like they look like right 
now. This had a bigger positive impact than we ourselves had thought.
Assigning to slamm.

Comment 7

[johng]

nav triage team:
nsbeta3+, reassigned to German.

Biggest issue is adding a link to the Sidebar Directory - an open directory 
project of all tabs from everyone.  We could possibly just add a link to the Add 
pop-up for this and be done - not sure.

Comment 8

[Blake Ross]

Yes! And while we're at it, we'll change "Add" to "General Random Sidebar 
Stuff".

Comment 9

[johng]

Blake - don't knock it until you try it.  We got lots of feedback saying that
the list in the dialog wasn't good for lots of tabs, and the # of tabs are
growing (about 600 now).  So we created a web directory of tabs based on ODP
(the Open Directory Project) so users can have another way of searching for the
tabs they like, and so any 3rd party can submit their tab to be added to the
directory.

We just launched a beta of the directory, it is linked from
www.netscape.com/sidebar.  Let me know what you think so we can improve it.

Also, marking this as a dupe of bug 47585

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 47585 ***

Comment 10

[Blake Ross]

Sorry -- I agree that the sidebar directory is a good idea. I'm just not sure 
users will understand if it's in the menu that appears after clicking the Add 
button (but now it says Tabs, so that's fine).  My earlier comment was a little 
rude, sorry; I was in a bad mood that day ;)